Awards Silver Star Name Captain Capron | Rank Captain Years of service 1867–98 Children Allyn K. Capron | |
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Born August 27, 1846 ( 1846-08-27 ) Battles/wars Sioux Wars
Pullman Strike
Spanish–American War
Battle of Santiago de Cuba Relations Allyn Kissam Capron (son)
Erastus A. Capron (father) Died September 18, 1898, Fort Myer, Arlington, Virginia, United States Education United States Military Academy Place of burial Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, United States Battles and wars Battle of Santiago de Cuba | ||
Service/branch United States Army | ||
Allyn Capron (1846–1898), was a Captain in the United States Army.
Life before the Spanish-American War
Capron was born in 1846 to Harriet and Erastus A. Capron. 1847 brought the death of Erastus in the Mexican–American War. Upon reaching age, Allyn was nominated by a U.S. Congressman to enroll, like his father before him, into the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
After graduating from the Academy, Capron became a lieutenant and then a captain in the Artillery and Signal Corps. Capron became a well-known artillery officer in the Regular Army. He served in the Sioux Wars, for which he received official commendation in 1891 and in times of peace in California, Utah, Illinois, Virginia, and Florida, until the U.S. went to war with Spain in 1898.
Capron accompanied his artillery battery of General William R. Shafter's American corps that landed in Cuba. Capron's battery supported the General Lawton's Division's attack on the Spanish at El Caney the morning of 1 June 1898 which was launched as a supporting attack to pin Spanish forces at El Caney and to keep them from coming to the aid of the Spanish under fire of the main attack on San Juan Heights. His son, Captain Allyn Kissam Capron, was a troop commander of the Rough Riders. During an early battle, the younger Capron was killed.
Capron's battery arrived at the front soon and the captain commanded his artillerymen throughout the Siege of Santiago. However, Capron contracted typhoid fever during the campaign and obtained leave of absence. He died near his home of his ailment.